First...a couple updates on last month's box:
1) The hubs and I have tried 2 recipes out of the The Can't Cook Book. One was the roasted chicken and potatoes, which we both had high hopes for. For some reason, the potatoes turned out super super salty and soggy. We followed the recipe exactly though and my hubby is a great cook! Perhaps we should put the potatoes on top of the chicken or make them separately? Also, I had the banana, peanut butter, and coconut English Muffin (from the Quickies section) for quite a few mornings. Num num!!!
2) While I loved the Wet Brush and it works exactly the way it is supposed to, I just don't need it. I really want to buy the Shine Brush version for when I use dry shampoo. I'm keeping it though in case I ever decide to grow my hair out or if I go for a ride in a convertible.
3) I'm horrible and haven't used the Julep nail polish yet...because there are so many colors I have in my collection that I've been using first. Whoops! As for the bobby pins and the makeup...they just aren't something I really wanted in the first place. Erm...I'm just so stuck on my awesome Jordana liquid liner. Oh well!
4) I just got an email from StitchFix that my first fix is on its way!!!! I can't wait to see what the stylist put together for me. I plan on doing a blog post with lots of pictures of what I got. I'll list what I received as well as what I decide to keep or give back as well. Stay tuned to see that next week!
First Look
The Lowdown
Cost: $35 a month (you get a discount if you subscribe for multiple months at once)...they are raising their price to $39.95 after November's box. But you can order several months at a time now and get them at the $35 price.
Coupon: Use REFER5 to get $5 off of your first box!
Sign up now to get the December box, which is not sold out quite yet. But if it is, you can sign up to get on the wait list and wait for January.
The products: Think lifestyle must have products for women procured by editors and celebrity recommendations...it varies from month to month and usually includes beauty, fashion, home, fitness, health and more.
Definitely add POPSUGAR Must Have to your wishlists or subscription services, because it is a unique box that is a ton of fun to open up. FYI, my box weighed 3.7 pounds this month! I love that I get to enjoy items outside of the makeup and beauty realm that I have been getting in my Ipsy.
The Goods
Michael Stars Folk Art Wrap - valued at $42
So happy to have finally received a scarf! After eyeballing them in several of the past boxes that I missed out on before subscribing, I really hoped I didn't miss out completely. I love the tribal type print of this scarf as well as the color. This is a wrap but can also be used as a scarf. It is super soft and thick enough to throw on if I am eating out on a patio at a restaurant or going on a walk somewhere before it gets too super cool. But I'm even more excited to don it as a scarf once it gets into the winter temps here in the dessert. I love it! This particular wrap also comes in a russet/orange color, but it's not as versatile (in my opinion). Oh and hellooooo!!! The scarf completely covers the cost of the box plus a little extra too.
Land's End Single Canvas Wine Tote - valued at $14.50
From the website:
- Strong canvas wine carrier
- Water resistant
- Neatly finished inside seams
- Lasts year after year
- Make it Your Own by adding a monogram or embroidery icon
Our Wine Tote is the perfect way to bring along something to toast with. When you bring wine to a party, this is much more durable than the usual paper bottle bag, being 100% cotton canvas. And adding your host’s monogram makes the gift even more special. Or get years of use taking wine to picnics, restaurants, concerts on the lawn. Spot clean. Imported.
Erm. I am not a wine drinker. So, I wasn't really ecstatic to get this in my box. But I have a good friend who looooooves wine and I've already asked her if she would like it. And basically, she was uber happy to find out she could have it after she saw my initial Instagram shot. LOLOLOL. At first I kind of thought I'd try to use it with my water bottle. But even then, I still wouldn't use it that much.
Illume Naughty Candle - valued at $15.75
Hmmmm...I hate the scent! It is a sort of foresty and flowery scent and very very strong. The candle was the first thing I smelled when I opened the box. But the glass is very thick and it's quite a lovely looking candle. I already gifted it to my friend who also subscribes to Must Have because she loves her candle that she got. So...now she has 2!
The Soap & Paper Factory Roland Pine Shea Butter Soap - valued at $8.00
Kind of wondering why they didn't save this one for the December box. But that's okay! I do love the smell of pine during December, especially since I live in the desert and cactus doesn't smell like anything fun. My mom actually is obsessed with pine scented items and so this might make its way into her hands...since I also don't really use bar soap. Just so you know though, the scent of this is very natural, nothing like some of the candles out there that have a distinct fake pine-in-a-jar smell or those air fresheners that people can spray all over the place. Just like all other Shea Butter products I use, I'm sure this will leave someone's hands feeling quite soft and lovely afterwards.
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Barefruit Crunchy Sea Salt Caramel Apple Chips - valued at $3.50
Caramel?! Sea salt caramel?! Yes please! I had high hopes for these. I could also use more healthy snacks in my life. But, these are not my friend. The caramel isn't really apparent...more of an aftertaste actually. It certainly doesn't have a salty caramel vibe to it either. Oh well. Back to the drawing board.
Maison de Monaco Strawberry & Blackcurrant Cream Preserves - valued at $6.00
How about I don't even try explaining how lovely this sounds and let their website do it for me..."We use a high quality 'Creme de Cassis' (a black currant liqueur made by Massenez) imported from France to bring out the sweetness of our strawberries. The liqueur is put in early during the cooking so there is no alcohol left in the finished jam."
This sounds heavenly doesn't it?! It is 70% fruit and hand-cooked in San Francisco. The preserves can be spread on toast, pancakes, waffles, cheese, and ice cream! I think this is a great excuse to start having those things for breakfast and dessert no? Yum!!
Absolute! Nail Polish Remover Pads - valued at $2.99
I received the lemon scented remover pads. This is something you can throw in your purse to use when you want to quickly get rid of polish when it chips. I can see using this so I don't end up picking at it instead. I tried it out today after quickly swiping one coat of polish on 2 of my fingers. At first, when I pulled one of the very thin pads out, I noticed it was almost dry. Of course, I immediately blew off this product thinking there was no way it would work. I started rubbing at my first fingernail and nothing was happening. But quickly after that the nail polish came off quite easily. There seems to be a bit of oil in it and comes off way more natural than other removers. The label says one pad can remove all 10 fingers' polish. I am not totally sure I see that happening, especially when I have my top coat and 2-3 coats of polish on. BUT...I can say I will be putting this in my makeup bag in my purse to use when I get a chip or two. It smells like lemon and almost nothing like polish remover.
CanvasPop $30 Gift Card - valued at $30
I would love to use this gift card to get one of my favorite Instagram shots done! Most likely I will go for 12x12 .75" deep. But that is still quite hefty, so I'll have to step back and figure this out. I noticed the gift card does stipulate that you can't use it toward shipping. Technically, I could use it to get an 8x10 rolled and only pay for the shipping. Hmmmmmm. Decisions. But I don't want to have to frame it myself or put it on a canvas, so I might as well pay some extra to get them to do it. What do you think?
Final Verdict
I paid $35 for the November box and got $123 worth of items from POPSUGAR Must Have! The scarf/wrap itself paid for the box!
All in all, I liked 4 out of the 8 items in this box. So, the verdict for November is 2 out of 5 stars. This is definitely my least favorite out of the 3 months I've been a subscriber. While the scarf is awesome, the other items weren't worth as much as the last 2 months and I didn't like them a whole lot. I'm gifting quite a few of the items.
What do you think of this month's box?
Which item is your favorite or a must-have?
Did you get a POPSUGAR Must Have box too...if so, what are you going to choose for your canvas?
